All My Wizards Season One: Familiar Beginnings
by Blinded Moon
Summary: The real drama begins in All My Wizards, a reality soap opera that takes place at Hogwarts during everyone's seventh year. The war is over, but now, all the students are faced with battles of the mind and heart. Who will prevail and who will fail SLASH
1. The Way Things Were

**All My Wizards**

The newest hit reality soap opera featuring none other than the students of Hogwarts!

Introduction

In Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the characters have been placed in many battles against dark wizards and powerful enemies. However, never have they had to face battles of the heart and soul. It is the seventh year. The Dark Lord is dead and the Death Eaters have been apprehended. All that's left are the makings for perfect drama all at your disposal in the fast-paced, jaw-dropping _All My Wizards_

Episode One – The Way Things Were

In the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry Potter sat on an armchair with his Transfiguration textbook in one hand and Ginny Weasley in the other. The two had resumed dating at the start of the year when the impending threat of Lord Voldemort had disappeared. They had been nearly inseparable ever since. At first, Ron was a bit unhappy about losing his sister and his best friend, but he found comfort in Hermione. Ron and Hermione soon began dating, but they were currently in a small fight.

"I don't think it's really over, mate," Ron said to Harry.

"Right yeah. Okay," Harry seemed rather preoccupied but Ron didn't know whether it was with his sister or with the Transfiguration textbook.

"Honey, are you okay?" Ginny caressed her boyfriend's hair. She loved him more than any of the many boys she had previously been dating. "Good lord, I hope you don't have what Lavender's got."

"I feel fine, don't worry Ginny," Harry replied, snapping back from his daze. "Besides, I don't think it's contagious. She and Seamus have been snogging for two weeks now and he is as fine as he's ever been."

"Is that right, now?" Ginny seemed a bit perplexed by how it seemed like everyone in Hogwarts had started pairing up. _Well, I guess there's more time for love in this world now that we don't need to worry about the Dark Lord_, Ginny thought, smiling.

"Hello!" Ron yelled, making some third-years look up from their work, "Shouldn't we be working on my relationship problems rather than yours or Lavender's?"

"Well, what did you say to her anyway?" asked Ginny.

"All she seemed to care about were her goddamn classes! I kept telling her to take a break so we could spend time together, that's all." He stopped there, but neither Harry nor Ginny were satisfied. Ron sighed, "And, maybe I accidentally sort of on purpose set her Charms essay on fire…"

"Oh dear, the one she had been working on all week?"

"Um…yes."

"Sheesh, Ron," Harry was shaking his head on the brim of laughter, "You should know after all of these years never to get between Hermione and her homework." Ron smiled, a bit lightened up. "Don't worry, she'll get over it. But speaking of homework, Ginny, I really have to get this Transfiguration essay done. Twelve inches by tomorrow."

Ginny sighed, "If you must," she murmured, kissing Harry lightly before the two parted and headed up to the dorm rooms, leaving Ron alone and single.

"I still sometimes wish things were simpler, like the way things were," he muttered to himself.

Inter-house relationships had also been a bit more common since the end of the very short war. Houses now barely told more than where the students had to sleep and eat, not as much who to befriend or date anymore. However, the Slytherins were still rather elitist and the Hufflepuffs were still rather bland. But, overall, there was more love. That's why nobody was too surprised to walk by Dean Thomas snogging Hannah Abbott in a deserted alcove on the fourth floor by the Muggle Studies classrooms.

"Honey, I really have to get back to the Common Room," Dean said between kisses to his love.

"Oh, please, no" Hannah gasped with surprising intensity, "Stay here with me. Please? Just a few more minutes?"

Dean kissed her again. "Look, I've really got to get back. I promised Seamus that I'd help him with Professor Stein's essay."

Hannah sighed. "Don't you wish we could just be in the same house so we'd never have to part like this? Or don't you wish that there weren't any houses at all?"

Dean was still getting his schoolbag together. "Yeah, sure. Don't worry, things will be okay." He gave Hannah a peck on the forehead and then hurried off to the common room.

Hannah stared after him going. She sighed, remembering those sweet memories from just a moment ago and hoping that she would continue to make more as time continued. However, she was worried that it wouldn't continue at all the times she was away from Dean. She shook her head and started off towards her own common room when she suddenly remembered.

_Shit_, she cursed, looking at her watch,_ I promised I'd meet Susan and Ernie to work on that essay together_. She got her stuff together and then hurried down the staircases to the library. She arrived there moments later and made her way towards the table in the corner between the Herbology and 16th Century Charms sections. She shook her head, wishing her friends could find a less boring place to sit.

As she approached the table containing Ernie, Susan, and Jusin, she noticed that the place that she usual sat every Sunday when she worked with her friends on homework was taken by Eloise Midigen.

"Hi everyone," Hannah said, dropping her books on the table and looking around for another chair, "I was-"

"Busy?" Susan asked with a bite, "Snogging that god-ugly Gryffindor?"

"Well, first of all, he's not god-ugly, and secondly, houses don't matter at all."

"Would you snog a Slytherin?" asked Ernie, annoyed.

Hannah paused. She actually had to think about it. "If he was a nice guy, I'd be happy to."

"Cut the crap, Hannah," replied Ernie, "Point-blank, you've been ignoring all of us so much lately. We've been friends for six years and now you just forget all about us and run off with Dean Thomas." Ernie snorted at the name. "If you want, you can go study with him or some Slytherins. We don't care as long as you're not studying with us."

"You're just jealous, aren't you?" Hannah remembered last year when Ernie had asked her on a date. She went, pitying him, but slapped him and broke it off when he tried to kiss her. Hannah grimaced at the memories and replaced them with happier ones of the dates she had with Dean.

"That doesn't matter!" Ernie shouted with a bit more anger than was necessary.

"Look, Hannah, just leave us alone," Justin said firmly. Hannah was surprised. Of all of her friends, Justin was usually the most understanding. She knew that there was no hope anymore.

"Fine." Hannah walked straight out of the library, sad that she had lost some of her only friends but happy that she wouldn't be stuck between Herbology and 16th Century Charms. However, when she reached the corridor, she realized that there was nowhere to go. She couldn't go see Dean, none of her friends liked her anymore, and her common room would probably be empty. She leaned against the wall, her face slightly comforted by the cool stone. Everything was changing around her. Some changes were good, some bad, and some she hadn't decided on. A tear was about to drip out of her eye, but she stopped it. She then made her way down to the third floor. She had a plan. It wasn't likely to work, but it was worth a try.

Meanwhile, a figure emerged silently and nearly invisibly from the Forbidden Forest. She was the most trusted and most intimate servant of Lord Voldemort. She hadn't done as many dark deeds as some of the other Death Eaters, but she was certainly one of the most lethal. After all, she had gotten out of punishment without a real trial at all. For the past months, she had been wandering about, but now, she knew what she wanted. She had received a tip from a friend and was out for something she knew that she needed…

_In the next episode of All My Wizards_:

-Find out the identity of Voldemort's servant as a bad date turns into evil plans.

-Hannah Abbott visits Professor McGonagall with a startling request.

-Crabbe finds himself a bit confused by his best friend's nighttime antics.


	2. Requests

**All My Wizards**

The newest hit reality soap opera featuring none other than the students of Hogwarts!

Episode Two: Requests

_Previously on All My Wizards_

-Ron is slightly dejected about his fight with his girlfriend, Hermione

-Hannah Abbott gets into a fight with her friends about her boyfriend, Dean Thomas

-Voldemort's most trusted servant arrives at Hogwarts

She made her way towards the school, but stopped when she reached the lake. The servant looked around and made sure that nobody was there to be the witness. She saw nobody other than the bright moon in the sky. She ignored it and then turned back to the lake. "Georgiou," she hissed.

After a few seconds, the lake started to bubble and steam. The water swirled into a large whirlpool until none other than Georgiou the Giant Squid emerged from underwater. In one of his tentacles, there was a lovely bouquet of colorful seaweed. "For you, my sweet."

"Thank you," replied Nagini, "You certainly look handsome tonight, Georgiou."

Theodore Nott returned to the common room around eleven o-clock. He noticed that the room was pretty much empty except for a lone figure sitting by the fireplace. He recognized the person by his height reflected by the crackling flames which seemed to slowly be eating up pieces of parchment thrown by the person. Theodore approached him. "What's going on, Vince?"

"Oh, it's you, Theo." Vincent Crabbe replied, giving his friend a hesitant smile. In his last year at Hogwarts, Crabbe had realized that it would be better to work hard than just slack off and hope that he could have an easy future. He and Theodore had grown much closer that year and were now pretty good friends. Crabbe liked Theodore a lot more than Goyle, as Goyle often didn't have two thoughts to rub together, and Draco, who treated him like some servant. Theodore, however, had triple the brains than Goyle and treated Crabbe as an equal friend, which was certainly something new for Crabbe. "Where have you been?"

"Just…out and about," muttered Theodore, who was staring out the window.

"Right," replied Crabbe, looking back down at his Transfiguration essay. Theodore had been busy a lot lately. _I know it's none of my business, but..._"I have a question."

"Yeah?" Theodore looked back down with those big, brown, innocent eyes. Crabbe sighed.

"Can you proofread this for me?"

"Sure, Vince."

Hannah Abbott made her way to the twin gargoyles on the third floor. Earlier that week, she had seen Professor Slughorn murmur a password to them and then mutter something about submitting his budget to McGonagall. Hannah presumed that it must be the secret entrance to the headmistress's office. "Raspberry licorice," she muttered and the gargoyles jumped aside to reveal a moving staircase. Hannah was a bit surprised but she threw aside her fears and stepped on the staircase, which lead her to a large wooden door. She knocked.

"Oh! Come in then," Professor McGonagall seemed a bit surprised by the intrusion. She had never really developed Dumbledore's knack for predicting who was going to enter. She hoped that it wouldn't be someone from the Ministry, and seemed a bit relieved when Hannah entered. "Miss Abbott, what can I do for you at such a late hour?"

"Forgive me, Professor, but I would like to make a small request."

"Now, what would that be?"

"I would like to…switch houses."

Professor McGonagall paused, slightly surprised when she heard this. She stepped over to the windowsill and looked out. She noticed the growing moon in the sky and wished that Albus were still around to help her. Whether it was a silly decision such as switching houses or whether it was something major, she wished that there were still somewhere that she could send an owl to reach him. _God, how I miss that man_. If only she had realized what she had before it so cruelly left her, she might have had a chance in this world. Of course she had the portrait, but he slept most of the time when he wasn't chatting about how he wished he had been painting with more comfortable socks.

"Now, Miss Bones, I don't receive this type of request often, but it is school policy that once you're sorted that you must remain where you are."

"Oh, please Professor," Hannah pleaded, "My friends have all abandoned me for some stupid reason, that I'm dating a Gryffindor. It's so lonely back in the Hufflepuff common room. I want to be with Dean."

"Miss Bones, it's just teenage love. These things come and go." She eyed the portrait of Albus, sleeping soundly.

"That's right, Minerva, you tell her," said Phineas Nigellus. A few other portraits submitted their views, some agreeing and some disagreeing. Professor McGonagall sighed, wishing that she could make this decision in peace.

"However," she added, "I've never really received this request from a Hufflepuff, and it's been from someone who really sees this as their last resort." She paused, shaking her head. "Maybe we should ask the Sorting Hat."

Hannah nodded, willing to do anything to get into her dear sweet Dean's house. She plopped down on the stool and, heart pounding, placed the hat on her head.

"Hmm, oh yes, I remember this one," said the hat, "Some brains, some smart ideas, some bravery, a nice, pretty mind. I can see why I originally put you in Hufflepuff. But…well this sure is odd. I don't know why I didn't see this before. Must've been a bad day for me…but you really do have a true heart…and a sufficient amount of bravery. Well, I'm still a bit unsure about you, but I think that you'd do just fine in GRYFFINDOR!" Professor McGonagall and some of the former headmasters and headmistresses covered their ears.

"Well, that settles it. I'll have Professor Stein bring you to your new common room."

Hannah was delighted. Now, she could spend to much more time with Dean and be away from the close-minded and boring Hufflepuffs. "Thank you so much, Professor! Thanks, hat!" Professor McGonagall nodded as Hannah turned around and hurried out the door. Professor McGonagall stood there for awhile just staring after her, wondering for the umpteenth time whether her decision was correct.

"It was the right thing to do, Minerva." The voice came from over her left shoulder, from a man with bright twinkling eyes behind spectacles. A smile came from under his snowy white beard.

"Really? You like the weird sisters too?" Georgiou seemed utterly delighted that he had something else in common with his date, the feisty snake Nagini, "That's just so amazingly terrific and fabulous! I mean, I live in this lake with all these merpeople and they usually just sing and sing their tunes in mermish but don't get me wrong, I mean, they do sing pretty well it's just that sometimes I wish for something different but there's one merman Jonathon…um…Jonathon K-something and he also likes the Weird Sisters and he sings their songs and he really has a great voice…oh Jonathan Kaplan I think it was. Anyway I was hanging out with Jon this one time…"

Nagini sighed. This had been going on all night. She would say one thing and then Georgiou would flap his tentacles and suddenly rant on for what seemed like hours on some silly topic. _He speaks, yet says nothing_, Nagini sighed, remembering how much Bella liked Shakespeare. _Rosie was so wrong about this guy_, she thought,_ Back when she was younger and before her death, the kind basilisk was mad about him. Sheesh, I never knew that she had such bad taste in men_.

"…And then these humans are always coming around the lake. At the beginning of the year, a bunch of small ones come in on little wooden boats and I don't really have a problem with them. Some people like this nice bloke Harry Twotter I think it was even feed me with-"

"Harry Potter?" Nagini was stunned to hear the name she had heard her master speak endlessly about.

"Yes, Harry Potter. Why, did I say something else? Goodness, I do that all the time. Like this one time…"

Nagini suddenly found it so easy to tune out Georgiou's extremely boring tangents. _Harry Potter_, she thought to herself. He was the arch enemy of Voldemort, her master. _What a lovely coincidence_, she thought to herself. This was her big break to get revenge on the boy who had done in her dear Voldemort. It was time for revenge.

"Tell me Georgiou…does this Harry Potter come to the lake often? I might need you to do me a little favor…"

_In the next episode of All My Wizards:_

-Hannah arrives in her new house but is surprised when Dean seems too preoccupied to really notice her.

-Crabbe finds out the reason why Theodore has been ignoring him.

-Nagini's evil plan is put into action.


	3. A Trick of Light

Episode Three – A Trick of Light

_Previously on All My Wizards:_

-Nagini realizes that her romantic date could help her kill her nemesis Harry Potter

-Hannah Abbott switches into Gryffindor

-Crabbe wonders what Theodore Nott has been up to

Awhile after his hookup session with Hannah, Dean made his way up to his dormitory. Hannah really was a sweet girl, but sometimes, Dean felt like he didn't feel any fire or really had any fun. He'd heard so much that love was supposed to feel like fire sometimes and like ice other times, but when it came to Hannah, he only felt lukewarm. Something was missing and Dean really wasn't sure.

"Oh shit, sorry man," Dean had walked into the dorm to notice Seamus in the process changing into his pajamas. _This is awkward_, thought Dean, _But, wow, I never really noticed how chiseled he is_. Dean took a second to admire Seamus' six-pack and other body parts before he realized that he should probably look away.

"It's fine," replied Seamus, not noticing Dean's interest.

"So, um," Dean had momentarily forgot what he was up there for, "Do you need help with that essay?"

"Oh, no, I got it finished," he said, "Thanks though." Seamus smiled and Dean found it oddly attractive. _What the fuck is going on with me, _thought Dean. But he didn't have much time to ponder because he was soon summoned to the Gryffindor common room by an all-too-familiar girl's voice.

Hannah had to work hard to hide her nervousness as the new Transfigurations teacher, Professor Stein, walked her up to the seventh floor where the Gryffindor common room was located. The blond teacher noticed that Hannah's hands were shaking.

"Don't worry, dear, things will turn out all right," Hannah looked up and smiled at her teacher's kind words, "I was a Gryffindor once and they're always happy to have a new friend. I think you'll be sleeping with the fifth years though…oh well at least they'll have someone to make sure they won't misbehave." The two shared a smile.

"Thank you Professor," Hannah replied. Like most of the other students at Hogwarts, Hannah really did like Professor Stein, the new, young Transfiguration professor. She had dirty blond hair which used to be long and curly but which had recently been cut and now hung on light strands just around her shoulder. She always seemed to have a smile on her face and bags under her eyes.

"Well, here we are," said the young Professor, stopping outside the Fat Lady, "The password is _Serpentensia Mortif_."

"Sounds gloomy," said Hannah, with her fears now fully exposed. The painting swung open and Hannah entered, surprised that such a small fire could keep such a large room so bright. It was much like the Hufflepuff common room except it was draped with red and gold. Hannah felt like she was being given a new start, a new hope for the future. She cracked a smile for the first time since she left Professor McGonagall's office.

Just a few students were down in the common room working on their homework for the next day, waiting anxiously for the weekend. Professor Stein spoke up. "Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that Miss Hannah Abbott here will be joining the Gryffindor house. She'll be rooming with the fifth years until we can find her a more permanent place. I do hope you'll treat her with as much respect and kindness as any of your other friends."

Hannah gave a small smile and wave which most of the Gryffindors returned. She walked over and noticed Harry Potter and his red-haired friend by the fire. "Hey, guys," she said, "Could you bring Dean down? I want to tell him the good news."

"Sure, Hannah," replied Harry kindly, "Welcome to Gryffindor!" With that, he hopped up. "Dean, get down here!"

When Dean came down, Hannah didn't know whether his face would light up in surprise or happiness or curiosity. Hannah was prepared for any of those. But she didn't expect his countenance to just display the grim-looking demulcent shock when he spotted her standing by the fire. He recovered quickly, hurrying down to give Hannah a kiss, but she knew things seemed just a bit off. _Another failure_, she thought, _Maybe I'm not good for him. _She stopped herself, though, after that thought. Her mind wouldn't entertain anymore of this reluctant foolishness.

It was a lazy Sunday when Georgiou peeked out of the water to discover his prey sitting by the other side of the lake with a book in hand and his bushy-haired friend by his side. He recognized the boy from always throwing pieces of bread to him and did feel a little guilty about what he had to do now. However, love has its costs. Georgiou was sure that he loved Nagini and knew that he wouldn't regret what she wanted him to do. _I'd do anything for her_, Georgiou thought while thinking of her magnificent beauty and seductive charm. She was the one for him.

Georgiou approached him underwater, trying not to create much of a racket. He wanted the attack to be slow and subtle. He had been ordered to grab the boy and crush him underwater so there was no chance of him living. Georgiou had never killed a human before but was willing and ready. He rose from the water slowly, just feet away from his target and prepared to make his move.

The girl noticed him first. She let out an earsplitting screech but nothing could stop me now. "Harry, watch out!" Her screams didn't arrive fast enough. Georgiou scooped Harry up with his front right tentacle and wrapped it around the man-child's torso, squeezing him as much as he could. Harry struggled to get out and reach his wand, but he was unable. He began to feel limp as the giant quid starting lowering myself to the cold dark depths of the lake.

Suddenly, stars danced before the eyes of the giant creature. Georgiou's grip slackened and he saw Harry fall out and swim to safety before the squid passed out before sinking into the dark waters of failure and lost love.

It was a cold twilight when Harry woke up in the hospital wing. He had hit the ground as soon as he reached the shore. Thankfully, he had been dried and given clean robes. He looked around at the deserted wing, thinking that Madam Pomfrey must've been at dinner.

_What happened to me?_ thought Harry, dizzy from the memories of being mauled by a creature who was normally a very peaceful being, _Why did the squid attack me? Was it under the Imperius curse? And who was it that hexed the squid and saved my life?_ One of these questions was answered momentarily as a dark figure dressed in green and black robes emerged from the shadowy corner.

"Potter," murmured Draco Malfoy, looking him directly in the eye.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" spat Harry to his savior.

"I want to explain to you what happened," Draco walked over towards the bed. He looked down at Harry for a moment and then, suddenly, jutted his head forward at the startled boy. Harry had never seen Draco up close, but it was a complete surprise. The blond boy had nearly perfect skin, and Harry was close enough to see every pore. His face looked as smooth, cold, and beautiful as a precious diamond. His eyes were dark and attacked Harry with the powerful gaze. His bottom lip seemed a bit chapped, but the top one was pink and hard. Harry was afraid of expelling a breath, afraid that even the tiniest bit of air would scare away the perfectly sculpted human. The sights and emotions before Harry completely blocked out the fact that Draco Malfoy was his arch enemy. After a few beats of staring and silence, the stone sculpture spoke.

"Now you listen here, Potter," his voice was a hiss and his eyes narrowed, increasing the intensity enormously, "I didn't stop that squid from murdering you because I like you or because you're my friend. I stopped that squid because you're worth far more than being killed by some goddamn wild animal. You vanquished the Dark Lord and many of his servants and you've killed too many to be brought down by that silly creature. I respect you too much." He paused. Harry thought he saw vulnerability in his eyes, but it could've easily been a trick of light, "So you listen here. Don't get killed for some stupid reason. I'm saving you for one of my comrades who wants revenge or even for myself. You hear that? Your ass is mine, Potter."

After speaking, Draco didn't even move his head an inch. Harry would have been shaking with fear, but a single shiver could've easily pushed Harry's lips atop the one chapped and one full right in front of him. Draco suddenly raised his hand towards Harry's face. The green-eyed boy flinched but the lips didn't touch. Draco reached his hand towards Harry's forehead and lightly touched the lightning bolt that had slowly been fading ever since Voldemort had met his demise. However, Harry felt the touch as strong as ever, as if the electricity on Draco's fingertips had renewed the power of the scar to its former intensity.

_In the next episode of All My Wizards:_

-Crabbe actually does find out the reason why Theodore has been ignoring him.

-Seamus visits his Lavender to find an unexpected impediment in their relationship.

-The twin sister of one of the main characters, a spicy and seductive Slytherin, makes her first and certainly not last appearance.


	4. A Fairytale

Episode Four: A Fairytale

_Previously on All My Wizards:_

-Georgiou attempts to kill Harry but his plans are foiled

-Hannah Abbott is placed in Gryffindor but is discouraged by Dean's indifferent reaction

-Harry is confronted by Draco Malfoy and makes a startling discovery

There was a line, and Crabbe was certain that Theodore had stepped over it. It was about a week after the whole lake incident and Theodore hadn't returned back to the dormitory until about eleven every night, without at all telling Crabbe of his whereabouts. He always found some clever way to dodge the question whenever it arose. Now, it was nearly midnight and Crabbe left the Slytherin common room in search of his friend.

While Crabbe maneuvered through the corridors of the dark dungeons, he wondered where Theodore had been all this time. Was he researching some kid of special magic? Was he breaking into the restricted section of the library? Was he trying to solve some mystery? These were the things that one would expect Theodore to be doing. Crabbe, however, did not expect that he was sucking face with some oddball chick in Ravenclaw.

This is why it came to a surprise when Crabbe heard noises coming from one of the abandoned classrooms on the third floor. He crept towards the door and slid it open just a tad. He almost coughed from the dust, but he was too preoccupied wondering why Luna Lovegood was in there with Theodore so late. Crabbe didn't expect romance until he saw their lips come together. He closed the door quick before he gagged on the dust. He stood alone in the dark for a moment and then furtively made his way to bed.

Theodore came in thirty minutes later. Crabbe was feinting sleep.

It's common knowledge that fairytales don't exist. Even the purest of love has its impediments that must be crossed. Theodore Nott and Luna Lovegood loved each other in the most innocent and plain way possible, but acceptance would not come around easy. They were polar opposites, after all. Not too many Ravenclaws would approve of their friend's Slytherin boyfriend and vise-versa. However, when the clock was about to struck twelve, the abandoned classroom made for the perfect fairytale. It was teenage love. It was forever. They kissed and it meant something. Their eyes locked and they understood.

"Mm, Theodore," murmured Luna.

"Yes?"

"Do you ever wonder if…"

"Mm…yes?"

"If anybody can ever find out? Because secret love affairs are the breeding ground for qualots, which can devastate the minds of…"

"Shh," Theodore snickered to himself. He absolutely loved her little quirky nature and how she can discuss all of these wild mythical beings and conspiracies with a straight face. "Don't worry, I'll keep the qualots away."

"You have a pure platinum disk on you?"

"Of course. I never leave without one."

"Oh, Theodore!" Luna exclaimed, and the two returned to their kissing. They finished around twelve-thirty and Theodore made his way quietly back to the Slytherin common room. When he reached the dormitory, he looked down at Crabbe, asleep. Theodore wanted to tell his best friend, but he wasn't sure if Crabbe would accept things so easily. _No love is a fairytale_, thought Theodore as he collapsed in his bed.

"Seamus?" Professor Stein stood at the entrance of the dungeons. Seamus turned around, confused. "Could you come with me?"

Seamus looked over at Professor Slughorn, who waved his hand obediently. The Gryffindors all seemed to be jealous of him for getting out of class. He stood up and followed Professor Stein out of the classroom. She was walking swiftly and her countenance was empty.

"Professor?" Seamus asked warily, "What is this about?"

Professor Stein paused and took a deep breath. Seamus was prepared for the worst. "It's Lavender. She's gotten worse. They're taking her to St. Mungo's tomorrow and we figured it was only fair that you see her before she left."

Seamus was utterly shocked. He thought Lavender only had the flu, but it must have been something much worse. He was almost nervous to see her in the hospital wing, her beautiful face cloaked with a think white mask of disease. What could be wrong with her? He hoped she would be better soon.

They arrived at the hospital wing. Professor Stein gestured towards a private room right by Madam Pomfrey's office. Seamus paused outside of the doorway and then peered in.

Her eyes were closed and her face was clear, like a blank slate waiting to be chalked up with feeling and emotion. She was just wearing thin rags, rather than her new robes. She looked thinner and paler than he could have ever imagined. He walked over and stared at her.

"We're not sure, but we think it's some kind of rare genetic disease," Madam Pomfrey said, emerging from the corner of the room. "Apparently, her uncle died of it."

Lavender shivered and opened her eyes a bit. She smiled in a way that was so tragically beautiful that it almost brought tears to Seamus' eyes. "Seamus…"

"Shh, don't say anything," Seamus looked away from the emaciated figure that lay before her. By her bedside, he sat. He sat for hours, just staring at her, wondering if this was the last time he would see her beautiful face.

It was around five and Crabbe was sitting alone by the common room fire, just staring at the flames. _Now that Theodore has Luna, why would he need me anymore?_ Crabbe thought, _I guess I can just go back to being friends with Draco and trying to teach Goyle how to speak in complete sentences_. The flickering flames somehow cheered him up a bit. They were warm and bright, yet destructive at the same time.

"Sulking, Vincent?" a female voice asked. Crabbe turned around and noticed the girl standing in front of him. She was a sixth year Slytherin who was known for her extensive knowledge of American spells, as she had just recently transferred to Hogwarts. She had bleach-blond hair, probably dyed, and silvery eyes that had a twinge or orange when reflected by the flames. Her nails were painted dark red and she was wearing ink-colored low-cut dress robes.

"Whoa, Mona," Crabbe gasped as his eyes bugged when he saw her startling figure. The leathery dress robes really outlined the curves in her nice body. Crabbe had never really noticed her looks before, even though they had been fast friends since her transfer. He started getting sweaty and he hoped Mona would think it was just the fire. "Why…er…why are you all dressed up?"

"It's formal dinner night at Charms Club," she replied with a twinge of ennui in her voice. She sat down on the arm of the chair Crabbe was sitting in. "I wanted to stir things up a bit, so I decided to wear this."

"Well, you're sure to do that," Crabbe snickered, "The fishnets sure look nice."

"Why thank you," said Mona, doing a little kick. She may have looked almost identical to her twin sister Luna (from behind, you can't tell them apart), but her demeanor and personality were very different. Luna was quieter and wackier and Mona was far more boisterous and had that American sex appeal that few other Hogwarts girls had. While admiring her looks, an idea suddenly popped into Crabbe's head.

"Mona?" Crabbe asked softly.

"Yes, Vince?"

"You know how we've been friends ever since we transferred here."

"Yes…what do you want, Vince?"

"Well, I need a teeny little favor, and it has a little to do with your sister…"

Theodore left the empty classroom fifteen minutes after Luna did, as so not to rouse suspicion. He was rather nervous meeting her during the day, as they could easily be discovered, but a few midnight meetings here and there weren't enough for either of them. Dinner would be letting out soon so he hoped to blend in with the crowd heading down to the Slytherin common room.

As he made it down to the dungeons, Theodore heard a few noises coming from an empty classroom. They sounded a bit like the sounds he and Luna made when they met in empty classrooms. Theodore laughed to himself. He was never the nosy type, but he just couldn't resist taking a little peek.

As he reached for the doorknob, he heard a voice come from inside: "Oh, Luna!" Theodore's hand stopped and the blood rushed from his face. Was his girlfriend being unfaithful? A mere twenty minutes after he had a session with her? His hand shook a bit, but he reached for the doorknob anyway. He hoped it was some elaborate prank.

It wasn't. Theodore looked inside and saw Luna's beautiful blond hair from behind. She was making out with none other than Crabbe, Theodore's best friend.

Theodore shut the door quietly behind him. Could he really blame his best friend? Crabbe had never really known. _Maybe things would have been different if I just told him the truth_, thought Theodore, _Maybe I should have told everybody the truth_. He sighed and willed himself back to the Slytherin common room. His love and happiness had been no more real than a fairytale.

_In the Next Episode of All My Wizards:_

-Each member of the Golden Trio has their share of relationship problems

-Dean Thomas opens up about his odd feelings lately

-The loss of one love leads a confused character to another


	5. Up in Smoke

Episode Five – Up In Smoke

_Previously on All My Wizards:_

-Seamus visits Lavender to find that she's become very sick.

-Crabbe finds out the reason Theodore has been ignoring him: Theodore's has a secret relationship with Luna Lovegood! He immediately plots revenge with Luna's twin sister, Mona.

"She's not going to make it."

Seamus didn't really feel much, except an inability to fully comprehend words spoken to him. He knew what each of the words in Madam Pomfrey's phrase meant. He even knew what those words together meant. And he knew that she represented Lavender. However, he was confused. He didn't get it. He didn't get how those words could exist together in a forgiving world.

"Now, dear, I know this is hard for you. If you want to see her one last time, you can come with me and Miss Patil to St. Mungo's for a visit."

Seamus didn't respond. He simply followed her and Pavarti to the Headmaster's office, where Madam Pomfrey threw some floo powder into the fireplace. The powder was swallowed by the flames and black smoke billowed upward through the enchanted chimney before the lights turned from orange to a sickly green.

"Go on, Seamus."

And he did.

"We never snog anymore! I haven't snogged him for almost two weeks! He's gone completely insane, I tell you!" Since Lavender had been taken to St. Mungo's, Ginny had moved up into the seventh-year girls' dormitory so she could hang out more with Hermione. At first, Hermione looked forward to having an extended "sleepover" with one of her close friends, but Ginny spent nearly all the time talking about Harry.

"Ginny, maybe he's just a bit tired of the…physical part of the relationship and just wants to get to know you better," Hermione replied.

"It seems like he's 'just a bit tired' of every part of this relationship. He gets up to the common room and I greet him all happily. He shrugs me off, claims he has homework, then disappears up to his dormitory for the rest of the night. We don't snog. We don't talk. We don't cuddle. And worst of all, we don't snog!"

"Relationships aren't all about snogging," Hermione replied in a singsong voice.

"Well who are you to give me relationship advice anyway? You can't even hold down a relationship with my own brother."

"You're the one throwing all your problems at me! Sheesh! Sometimes, I don't understand you Ginny!" Hermione threw herself into her pillow headfirst. It was only seven-o-clock on a Sunday night and she was already exhausted. Hermione knew that it was about time to fix things with Ron. One silly little charms essay gone up in smoke and now, their relationship seemed that way too. Usually, Harry was there to bridge the gap between his two friends when they were fighting, but, in a way, Ginny was right. Harry had spent quite a lot of time alone these days. It was as if the giant squid had sucked all the life out of him that day at the lake. Hermione groaned in confusion, but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Go up to Ron's dormitory," Ginny said in a quiet voice. "Fix things. It'll do you good. By the time you get back, all my stuff will be back in my normal room."

"Aw, Gin, you don't have to."

"It's fine. Really. I'm getting a bit tired of that Hannah girl anyway."

Hermione stood up, gave Ginny a hug, and went to mend something that should've been mended awhile ago.

"I hate Professor Stein," said Dean, while scribbling away at his Transfiguration report.

"No you don't," replied Ron. "She's one nice piece of-"

"Regardless, this essay sucks. What did you write anyway?"

"George wrote the same one during his seventh year. He sent it to me."

"Asshole," Dean snickered, chucking a pillow at Ron.

"You don't know what you're getting into." Ron retaliated with a pillow of his own, accelerated by a handy spell. Soon, Dean and Ron began a full-fledged war, until the two tired out and fell back on Ron's bed. They were silent for awhile, until Dean got bored and decided to spice things up a bit. Dean had never been the one to keep secrets or hide things from anybody. Therefore, if he was suspicious about something, he came right out with it.

"Hey Ron?

"Mm, yeah?"

"I was wondering something."

"What?" Ron was never a fan of philosophical talks that always started when people say they're wondering something. He was also never much of a fan of being kissed on the lips by one of his _male_ best friends.

"GAH! Get off me, get off me!"

"Sorry, I just had to."

"You just had to fucking kiss me?"

"I needed to know." Dean smiled and simply walked back to his bed. Dean was never one to make some big issue out of something. An extremely awkward silence followed, and both boys felt like there was an elephant in the room.

"So you're a poof?" asked Ron.

"Guess so."

"Just…don't do that again."

"Whatever," replied Dean. _If this is who I am, then this is who I am. Whatever. Now back to that goddamn essay_.

Ron was a bit more worried, peeking suspiciously out of the half-open dormitory door to make sure that nobody had seen. However, the only person who had seen had escaped the second that the kiss happened, her bushy brown hair whipping through the air as her tears turned cold.

"I just…I just don't believe it," Pavarti said to Seamus as they approached Lavender's room. "Lavender's been with me at Hogwarts every year and we barely had any fights. And now she's…she's here." Tears started to fall out of Pavarti's eyes as they approached Lavender's room. Seamus was still rather emotionless, though something odd in him really wanted Pavarti to stop crying. She was prettier with a smile anyway.

"Yeah…well…I think this is it." Seamus stepped forward to reach for the door, but he noticed that Pavarti was frozen. "You okay?"

Pavarti stayed frozen for a moment before throwing herself at her surprised companion. She was shaking madly and her salty tears were sinking into Seamus' school robes. She held him so tight that it made Seamus wish that Lavender had hugged him like this one more time before she fell ill. "Oh Seamus!" wailed Pavarti, "I'm scared! I don't want to see her like this, all stony and cold! I…I want to remember her as bright and happy, not as a corpse! This…t-this isn't what I want."

Seamus paused and suddenly wondered exactly what he wanted. He remembered feeling sorrow when he had seen her in the hospital wing. But now he felt something different. It was a little like sorrow, but a little like anxiety too. It didn't have a word. But he knew that he shouldn't turn back now.

"Listen to me, Pavarti," he said forcefully, taking her warm hands in his. "If you don't see her now, if you don't take the chance to say goodbye, you'll regret it forever. Don't worry, I'll be there." Seamus did feel a bit off having an intimate moment with his near-dead girlfriend's best friend, but shook it off as Pavarti nodded and the two continued inside.

As Seamus saw Lavender, the unknown feeling inside him started to drift closer to sorrow. She looked a bit like in the hospital wing, except even thinner. Her skin had dark blotches in a few spaces. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was unmoving. Seamus wondered if she was already dead. He approached the bed and knelt down beside her, stroking the small wisps of hair that hung from her pale head. "Lavender."

"Seamus," she muttered back, her eyelids flickering a bit, her mouth moving ever the slightest to pronounce his name. "Please…"

"Anything," replied Seamus. He looked up at Pavarti who was stuck against the wall, tears flowing silently down her face. Seamus, in spite of himself, thought she looked so beautiful, her eyes glistening through the tears with meaning and love. She was the only person in the world who could actually understand how he felt. Seamus was so caught up with himself that he didn't hear a faint whisper come from the hospital bed.

"What? What did you say Lavender?" Seamus wanted to shake her, squeeze the truth out. But he knew she was gone. He bent down and started weeping tears of guilt. However, he heard Pavarti's voice come from behind him, clear as a bell.

"She said, 'Don't forget me.'"

_On the next episode of All My Wizards_,

-The students of Hogwarts aren't the only ones with drama…

-The new Transfiguration teacher, Professor Stein, finds herself very interested in another professor. However, is her lover ready for a relationship?

-Headmistress McGonagall receives some foul blackmail.


	6. Small Smiles and Stone

Episode Six – Small Smiles and Stone

_Preciously on All My Wizards_

-Dean, upon realizing that he's gay, makes an unreciprocated move on Ron

-Ginny pushed Hermione over the edge, but anger soon turns to despair for Hermione

-Seamus and Pavarti witness Lavender's death and new feelings appear.

The death of Lavender Brown brought a smooth, thin layer of sorrow on all Hogwarts students, had they known her or not. There was a small, private funeral, and the only students that received invitations were Seamus and Pavarti. The two didn't attend, however. They felt like they had given an ample goodbye to their friend.

However, the change in Harry that Ginny had recognized couldn't be explained by the death of Lavender, as it was all brought on before the whole ordeal. Even the normally unperceptive Ron realized something was wrong, and brought it up during Potions class with Slughorn.

"Harry?"

No response.

"Harry? Harry Potter? Harry James Potter? Blimey Harry!" At this, Harry finally looked up. "What the devil has been the matter with you lately? You're silent, quiet, ignoring me, your friends–"

"Your girlfriend," added Hermione quietly, sitting on the other side of Harry. Ron would normally take offence to this two-sided stab, but he just gaped open-mouthed for a second and turned back to Harry, waiting for an explanation.

Harry, realizing something was required of him, blinked rapidly a few times. "I-I'm sorry, Ron, Hermione. I've just been feeling…odd lately since the whole Giant Squid experience." Ron's face twisted into one of worry and surprise, and Harry quickly reworded his sentence. "I'm sure it's not dark magic or Voldemort's old cohorts. It's…it's really nothing."

"Are you sure that you don't want to see Madam Pomfrey, mate?"

"It's nothing, really." Harry gave a reassuring smile that probably wasn't reassuring enough. However, it really was nothing. It was thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, faces, surprises. All inside his head. And all concerning one person. All concerning a face so icy and beautiful, even when death threats sang from its lips.

The bell rang and Ron and Hermione hurried out separately. Harry lingered, waiting. Harry always lingered at the end of Potions class, waiting for something. Waiting for words, recognition, anything from his arch nemesis, his greatest rival. Harry wasn't about to wait any longer. He approached Draco himself.

"What do you want, Potter?" asked Draco, void of surprise or emotion.

"To talk," Harry replied. It was the first thing he could think of. After all, there weren't any real, concrete reasons to have a discussion with Draco Malfoy.

"About what?" Still, Draco sounded bored.

"Would it be cliché to say that I can't stop thinking about you?"

That got Draco Malfoy, all right. He spun towards Harry, an odd look upon his face. Most blokes, after another bloke admits that they can't stop thinking about them, flashes a look of disgust or skepticism, and then gets away from the situation as fast as possible. Draco Malfoy just shot this curiously intimidating look at Harry, with a bit of surprise and vulnerability around the edges. Harry went stone at the sight of the silver. The two stood there for a moment, staring.

"Meet me next Thursday night in the Trophy Room. Midnight." said Draco, breaking the moment and storming off into the dungeons, leaving Harry still.

Crabbe had eaten his dinner very quickly and escaped from the Great Hall in record time. He had arranged to meet Mona, and she had specifically requested this time, and that he come alone. Crabbe had a feeling that there was some romance in store for him, and as he rushed down through the dungeons, he quickly applied a few vanity spells he had learned just for the occasion. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a bit of muttering coming from a dark alcove by Professor Slughorn's office. Upon closer look, Crabbe realized that it was none other than Mona's twin sister. She seemed to be sitting on the ground, whispering too low and too quick to be heard, and sniffling a bit. When she saw Crabbe, she stiffened up a bit and smiled a lopsided smile.

"Oh, hello, Vincent," said Luna conversationally. She had a great skill at making odd occurrences, such as a discussion in a dark alcove, seem completely normal. However, something was off. Then, it dawned on her. Luna had been crying. "I'm just down here collecting a few cobwebs…someone I know has been…well he'll need these to ward off…" She trailed off, doing the best she could to hold herself together. It wasn't working too well.

Crabbe had never seen her like this, and he suddenly felt a remarkable twang of pity and guilt. _Could this be because of Theodore?_

"Look, Vincent," said Luna quietly after a few beats. "You're close with…Theodore, yes?" She sniffled after she said 'Theodore' and Crabbe nodded, unsure about what to do. "Well I fear that he's fallen under…that he's being plagued by Urbles. They cause people to make…erratic claims and…go quite insane…breaking hearts." She gasped after the last phrase, looking up at Crabbe with her big blue eyes, more filled with purpose than ever before. "Could you just take these cobwebs and just place them by his bed? They should help." She sniffled again, and, not waiting for an answer, placed a pile of cobwebs in Crabbe's hand. With a small smile and a blush, Luna rushed off, leaving Crabbe completely dumbfounded.

After a moment, Crabbe suddenly remembered that he had to meet Mona. He hurried off to the stone wall, said the password, and entered. Mona looked up from the couch she was waiting, smiled, but noticed that Crabbe seemed a bit altered. She then spotted the cobwebs in his hand. Without a word, she pulled out a few of her own.

"You saw my sister as well, I presume," she said.

Crabbe sighed. "Yeah."

"Yeah," Mona responded. It didn't seem like either of them were up for a snog. The two sat down on the couch together, a bit awkwardly. The high-ceilinged room was filled with sexual tension, but neither person wanted to make a move. Neither wanted to speak either. Finally, Crabbe broke the silence.

"I…I didn't think that…this would cause so much trouble."

"Neither did I," replied Mona, looking straight at Crabbe. "So, what are we going to do about this? Should we fix things?"

Crabbe cringed, thinking about how awkward it would be telling Theodore about the betrayal. Crabbe wasn't even sure that he and Theodore would be friends after this. But did he really have a choice? "I don't know," he said. There was another pause. "But, if they were in love, then maybe they deserve another chance."

Mona smiled warmly . "Love always deserves a chance," she said, slowly moving her head closer and closer to Crabbe until their lips touched in a kiss smoother than stone, yet warmer than the small fire crackling in front of them.

Later that week, as midnight came closer, one person sat staring at the fire in a different Common Room. So many things had been attacking the mind of Seamus Finnegan until he could barely focus anymore on anything, especially not sleep. After about an hour of tossing and turning, he found himself downstairs, staring at the fire, willing for all those thoughts to leave his mind so he could rest and return to life. But he couldn't forget about his ex-girlfriend. He couldn't forget her pale form and cold hands. He couldn't forget that little moan that became her voice when she uttered those final words that he just couldn't forget.

"Seamus," said a quiet voice behind him. He gasped and saw Pavarti's face, illuminated by the fire. It looked as tired and worn as his. Seamus sighed, and gave her a small smile, trying to shake the sadness that hadn't left her face since Lavender passed away.

Seamus had thought so much about Pavarti. The look in her eyes. Her beautiful sorrow. Whenever he wasn't thinking about his lost love, he was thinking about this new one, none other than Lavender's best friend. This had led to such complicated emotions inside Seamus. Wishes, fears, pity, wonder, and most of all, betrayal. How could he possibly love Pavarti when her best friend and his ex had just passed away?

"Can't sleep either?" asked Seamus. Pavarti sighed and gave him a knowing look before sitting down lightly on the couch next to him. They stared at the fire for a moment.

"I just…" started Pavarti. She paused. "I just can't stop thinking about her. She's been here with me at Hogwarts since my first year and I just don't know if I can finish this last year without her. It's just so…"

Pavarti couldn't finish her sentence. Since the death, Pavarti had been stone cold. But her cold demeanor had melted as she sat there with Seamus, and what had been stone became liquid, which traveled straight to her eyes before cascading down her face. Seamus moved in closer and put an arm around her, feeling the heat of her shaking body, trying to hold himself back for her sake.

"Look, Pavarti," said Seamus soothingly, "I know that we can make it through this. I loved her very much and I know you loved her very much, but we have to move on. I'm not saying that we should forget her, but I think we should do the best we can to…put aside these horrible memories and just remember the good times." Pavarti calmed down a little at this, and after a few deep breaths, she laid her head on his shoulder.

"We can do this," she murmured.

"Together," he whispered. And with that, the intense inner battle within Seamus broke through the stone of his exterior, and he saw his lips move towards hers. Her face started as disbelief, followed by bewilderment, but she was caught in his gaze.

The kiss lasted two seconds before Pavarti gasped, screamed silently, and, without a word, barreled up to the girls' dormitory.

Seamus stared after her, blinking. He felt so much inside, and it all boiled down into this unreadable jumble. _What have I done?_

He stared there, blinking, until he fell back almost unconsciously to a sleep in front of the fire. He didn't notice the figure under the invisibility cloak slowly make its way out of the Gryffindor Common Room, out for a midnight rendezvous.

_On the next episode of All My Wizards_:

-Harry's meeting with Draco takes an unpredictable turn

-Dean breaks the news regarding his sexuality to Hannah. But how will the needy girl take this sudden news?

-Crabbe decides to tell the truth. But will Theodore forgive him?


	7. Battles

Episode Seven – Battles

_Previously on All My Wizards_:

-Harry and Draco have a startling confrontation and plan to meet at midnight

-Crabbe feels guilty about the trouble he's caused between Theodore and Luna

-Seamus and Pavarti share a confusing intimate moment.

Draco Malfoy was lying on his bed biting his lip on that Wednesday night. He was the kind who paced whenever he was unsure. Sometimes, he would pace and pace and pace until his feet tired out. After that, he would lie down and tap his fingers. Sometimes, he would tap and tap and tap until his fingers couldn't move anymore. After that, he would bite his lip.

_Goddamnit, Potter_, he thought. _Why do you have to make me think so much?_ However, Draco wasn't only thinking about some plan. He had green eyes on his mind.

_No, no, no!_ Draco took a huge chunk out of his lower lip and the blood started flowing. He cursed._ Let's get back to the planning_

There was option one: meet him.

No.

There was option two: don't meet him.

No. _Potter's the type to persist. It wouldn't be over_.

So where's option three?

Goyle suddenly walked into the dormitory on Draco furiously biting his lip. Draco paid no attention to the oaf as Goyle looked curiously and then opened his mouth.

"Uh, Draco? I was umm wondering if you still have that uhh…stash of sweets? Because I'm…really kind of…hungry and…"

At first, Draco continued to pretend that Goyle didn't exist. And then, it dawned on him. _Option three_. Draco immediately changed his attitude and hopped cheerfully off his bed. He walked over to Goyle and gave a smile that probably looked completely false, but Goyle wouldn't notice. _Idiot_, thought Draco.

"Goyle, Goyle, I do happen to have some sweets left. I still have a bag of Bertie Bott's," the larger boy smiled, "some of that solid milk chocolate," Goyle started drooling, "and even a bunch of those creamy truffles." By then, the brute had turned into some sort of wild animal, begging for the candy.

"But," said Draco clearly and articulately, "you must do me a small favor. Get a few of your larger fifth year and sixth year friends. There's someone who I want you to meet…at midnight."

_God, now that was something else_, thought Harry as he swiftly made his way through the halls under his invisibility cloak. He had just seen Seamus and Pavarti speaking together, kissing, and, most surprisingly, fighting. _Well, it wasn't much of a fight_, he thought, _but it was still rather odd_. However, Harry had no time to worry about the issues of his classmates. He had silver eyes on his mind.

He reached the trophy room about ten minutes before the meeting. He walked over to a window and looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, sighing and shaking his head. _Is this right? Should I really be meeting with a bloke, a bloke for Christ's sake, who has been against me all these years? Why do I even like him? What do I see in him?_

Harry shook his head. He knew that, as hard as he tried, he may never answer those questions. But one thing was for sure. He needed to speak to Draco. Harry slowly removed his invisibility cloak and stuffed it behind a dusty shelf in the corner. Then, he waited. A clock chimed: a foreboding omen.

At first, Harry wasn't sure if Draco would show. Then, Harry heard footsteps. His heart quickened when he realized that there were multiple sets of them. Then, the whispers came.

"Draco said he'd be somewhere around here. Come on guys, check the room."

_Shit,_ Harry thought. He started making a mad dash towards the place where he stashed the invisibility cloak. However, he knocked down a few medals in the process. They clanged on the floor, causing the whispers to turn into yells and the footsteps to become stomps as. Harry pulled out his wand and quickly stunned one of the Slytherins that had rushed out from behind a bookshelf. A second one tripped over the stunned body and went careening forward, shattering a glass case. Immediately, Harry heard a low thump, and then realized that a fist had just collided with the back of his head. After he heard it and comprehended it, he felt the pain. He fell to the ground and looked up right into the eyes of Gregory Goyle, who started to chuckle. However, Goyle had forgotten that Harry still had a wand in his hands.

After Goyle had been stunned and transfigured into something that vaguely resembled a drunk merman, Harry took his cloak and made his way back to the Gryffindor dormitory, clutching the expanding throb on the back of his head. _I've beaten Death Eaters, dueled Voldemort, and I got injured by that piece of lard? I'm losing my touch_.

_This isn't over, though_, he thought. He still saw silver eyes, and he still wanted to see them, no matter what the risk.

"Harry, what's that bump on the back of your head?" Ginny quickly reached over to push back his hair, but Harry cringed and pulled away. Ginny thought his reaction was because of the pain, but she was mistaken.

"Don't worry, Gin, it's nothing," he replied with an unconvincing smile and nod. "Just hit my head in my sleep or something."

"In your sleep? More nightmares?"

"No, no. Really, don't worry about it." Harry sighed, appreciating her care, but too preoccupied to put on a full show. He sincerely felt bad for the way he was treating her, but at the same time, he was too lazy to make a change. "Now, something I do have to worry about is this Potions paper. So I'm going to run along to the library to get a book."

Before Ginny could reply, he had whisked away. The girl sat back in the chair, defeated, and let out a small moan. To make things worse, the cheerful Hannah Abbott came bounding down the spiral staircase to get all lovey-dovey with Ginny's own ex-boyfriend. _Jesus Christ, now this is one scene I don't need to see_, thought Ginny. She was about to leave when she noticed Dean make a small gruesome face when he saw Hannah. _Actually_, thought Ginny, _maybe I should stick around_.

"Oh Dean, darling," said Hannah sweetly. Dean gave her a smile and she squealed, pulling him into a very Hufflepuff-like hug. "It's Friday night so there's no schoolwork to worry about. How about we settle down for a nice game of chess?"

Ginny made an obvious snort, which Hannah met with a small tut. _Chess, right_, Ginny thought, _Dean prefers snogging_. _And lots of it_.

"Hannah, wait," replied Dean, making the same face. Ginny smiled to herself. "I was just…thinking and…I feel like maybe we should…I don't know."

"What, would you like to do something else? Maybe snuggle by the fire?" Obviously, Hannah wasn't getting the picture. Dean sighed and Ginny would've laughed, but then she saw something that startled her.

_Those faces Dean's making…those are the same ones that Harry's been making lately_. Ginny's eyes opened wide and she turned away for a moment.

"Hannah, the point is…" Dean paused and then dropped the bomb. "I don't think this is working out. I just…don't."

"Wait, you're breaking up with me?"

_No shit_, thought Ginny, who had resumed her eavesdropping after quickly dismissing her observation as some coincidence.

"Look, Hannah. It's not just black and white. I mean, you're a great girl and all and I really like you but…"

"What?" Hannah started to get enraged. "You really like me? You think I'm a great girl. Well, if that were true, then you wouldn't be breaking up with me!"

"Hannah, please…"

"Don't 'Hannah please' me!" The breakup had suddenly taken center stage and all the eyes of the Gryffindor Common Room turned towards the ex-couple. "I did all this work to get into this house and make this work. And now, this is all going to get thrown away? Why? Why? Why?!?" Her last plea came with tears and she grabbed the Dean's shoulders, holding on as if for dear life.

Dean, completely bewildered, wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle his unstable ex. He patted her on the back in a friendly manner, looking awkwardly around at the audience. Hannah, however, was not complying.

"Don't just throw this off," the girl said. "Why are you doing this?"

Dean heard only the sobs of Hannah and the silence of everybody around him. _My life on display_, he thought. _There's no way around this._

"Because…I'm gay."

_Well, that did the trick_, he thought. Gasps filled the room. Girls' cheeks turned red and boys shifted awkwardly. Ginny Weasley was wearing an expression that was a mix of amusement and disbelief. But nobody took their eyes off him. The words took a few beats to sink in, and Hannah, not knowing how to respond, took a deep breath in and just walked right back up the spiral staircase where she came from. Another awkward silence followed, until people just started muttering to each other. As soon as the buzz was loud enough, Dean slowly made his way back up to the dorm, emotionally drained. Ginny watched him go up and then shrugged. _Well at least I wasn't dating him when he went gay_. She smoothly rose and made her way up towards the staircase, ruffling the hair of her brother on her way.

"Stop," said Ron. Ginny took a look at him. "I…I think I'm going to talk to Hermione now." Ginny simply nodded. There was an awkward silence. "Do you think I should talk to Hermione?" Ron asked with a bit more of a worried voice.

Ginny simply laughed, shooing him off towards the bushy-haired girl with the flick of her hand. Ron nodded. _It's time to make amends_, he thoroughly told himself. He loved her, and had never stopped loving her even through their fights. However, for the past week or so, whenever he saw her, her face had an expression of sadness rather than one of anger. Ron wanted to fix things, to make her happy again. So, he took a deep breath and walked over to Hermione who was incidentally working on a Charms essay, the exact thing that put the two into a rut. She looked up at him, a bit surprised, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Good evening, Ronald."

"Er…hey Hermione. Um, I just…I just wanted to say that I'm…I'm really sorry about the whole…thing and uh…" Ron trailed off and turned his eyes towards the ground, waiting for her reply. She looked down too, at her essay.

"Apology accepted." With that, she kept writing. Ron cursed to himself.

"No, look Hermione. What I meant was that I…I really want us to be…together again because I just…I really…I really like you. I do. And, I hope you still…like me too?" He ended his last sentence awkwardly, which made Hermione snicker. It was those quirks about him that she just loved.

_Loved_, she thought sternly. _Past tense, something I _used_ to love._

"Ron, are you serious about this?" She thought back to what she had seen with him and Dean. And then, she realized why it hurt her so much. _I love him_, she thought, _I still do. Even when it's impossible._

Ron had taken had no idea about the internal battle going on before him. "Yes?" he answered unsure. He kicked himself inside, cursed under his breath, and tried again, in a quieter voice. "Yes, Hermione. I'm serious. I love you."

She looked up and stared at his deep blue eyes. _I can't take this_, she thought. She slammed her book shut and abruptly stood up. She hurried towards the spiral staircase, trying to get up before she could start crying. On the way, she threw her Charms essay into the fire. Ron heard one sob come from her before she disappeared. He stared after her like a deer in the headlights. Ginny approached him, just as confused.

"What did I say? What did I do wrong?" asked Ron.

"For once," replied his sister, "I have no idea."

_On the next episode of All My Wizards_:

-Harry confronts Draco regarding the scene in the trophy room.

-Crabbe comes clean. But how will Theodore take the news?

-One student, finding no way out, commits suicide


	8. Casualties

Episode Eight – Casualties

_Previously on All My Wizards_:

-Draco, unwilling to face Harry, sends some thugs to beat him up

-Dean breaks the news to Hannah, who's unwilling to accept

-Ron wants Hermione back, but she can't get over what she saw in episode 5.

It was Potions class the day after the scene in the Common Room. Ron was sitting on one side of the room, fidgeting, while Hermione sat on the other, tapping her quill and staring straight ahead of her. Harry, unwilling to choose a party, sat with Seamus, who wasn't the best seatmate. His eyes seemed glazed over and unnoticing anything else in the room. Now and then, he would look over at Pavarti, but he would turn his head rapidly back towards his cauldron a few seconds later, whether she saw him looking or not. Harry sighed, remembering their discussion in the Common Room the night he went to meet Draco Malfoy.

_Draco Malfoy_, Harry thought, turning his eyes to the blond-haired boy. Draco was chewing on his lip, which looked a bit swollen and trying and, Harry thought, trying as hard as he could not to notice the dark-haired boy's wandering eyes.

When class ended, Ron and Hermione both left as past as possible, so intent on avoiding each other that Harry was forgotten. _No matter_, thought Harry, _I have other business to take care of anyway_. Harry stealthily got out his wand and pointed it over to a test tube on Draco's table. A curse was muttered and the glass shattered. The students around the table quickly rushed away as so not to be blamed by Slughorn. Draco, however, didn't react fast enough.

"Mister Malfoy, I trust you'll stay around and clean that up, yes? And don't even think about using your wand. I think you need to learn some discipline." Professor Slughorn gave him a smug little smile and Draco muttered a curse as he bent over to start cleaning up.

"Here, Malfoy, I'll help you with that," said Harry as innocently as he could. Draco looked at him with a mix of resentment and bewilderment, suddenly understanding the ploy. Professor Slughorn let out a small chuckle.

"Well, Harry, what a fine young man you are! Ten points to Gryffindor. Now you keep an eye on him as well." With that, Slughorn made his way into his office, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as the door closed, Draco reached into his pocket, but Harry's wand was already out. "Don't even think about pulling another stunt like you did Wednesday. It didn't work. And it wouldn't work now."

Draco sighed and tried to give the coldest look he could muster. But somehow, he was altered, vulnerable.

"What do you want, Potter?"

"To talk."

"About what?"

Harry gave him a mocking smile and moved in a bit closer. "I don't know, what do _you_ want to talk about?"

That set off the fuse. Draco stood up straight and looked down at Harry, his eyes filled with a rage that wasn't just some façade. "Why on earth are you doing this to me?!? What the hell to you want from me?!? I just want to…" Draco paused, looking away. Suddenly, he was vulnerable again. "I just want you to leave me the fuck alone! Goddamnit, Harry! You make me so–"

It was the silence that followed that surprised both of them. Harry stared curiously and Draco stared, eyes silver as stone.

Silence.

And then, out of nowhere, Draco whipped his wand out. But instead of breaking anything, he just repaired the test tube, and stalked out of the dungeons, not looking back.

"Theo, can…can I talk to you for a second?"

It was after lunch, during the break the students had before their afternoon class. Theodore had just settled down on his four-poster when Crabbe had suddenly made his move to confess. It was a bit awkward, as Theodore still thought that Crabbe was secretly hooking up with Theodore's own ex-girlfriend, Luna Lovegood. _Whatever_, thought Theodore. _He didn't know I was with her, so it's only one person's fault_.

"Yeah, sure. What is it, Vince?"

"Well…I…I knew that you were dating Luna."

Theodore blinked a few times. "What?"

"I saw you two…in an empty classroom together."

Theodore paused for a second, looking down. When he looked back up, his face was colder and his eyes were plainer. "Well, I could say the same thing, but I guess I can't exactly blame you because I thought that I really liked someone but I just guess…I guess not. So there."

Crabbe wasn't sure how to respond to this emotionless outburst. He took a deep breath. "It wasn't Luna I was with, it was Mona."

"What?"

"It was Mona. Luna was never cheating on you."

Theodore gasped, and was still for a moment, thinking. _Does this mean…_

"Aw, Vince!" Theodore jumped up and started laughing. Crabbe was slightly bewildered. "What a crazy mistake! Ha! I don't even know why I thought it was…"

And then he realized. _Crabbe set me up_. Theodore's face fell again, to the same cold heartlessness.

"Theo, listen! Just hear me out for a second!" But Crabbe wasn't sure exactly what to say. He didn't know how to apologize. He didn't know how to admit he was wrong. Either way, though, he wasn't given a chance. Theodore just left, off to find a girl that he had loved and wronged. Crabbe fell back on his bed, and let out a big sigh. Mona came up to join him, after seeing Theodore stomp out of the Slytherin Common Room.

"It didn't go too well?"

Crabbe looked up at her, his face filled with exhaustion. "You think she'll take him back?"

Mona walked over and sat down next to him. "Yeah."

Crabbe gave her a small smile. "You think he'll take me back?"

She opened her mouth and then closed it. Crabbe turned over and groaned, and Mona quickly caught herself. "Look, now, Crabbe. Don't feel guilty over this. He was being a shitty friend in the first place. If some bitch flicked me off like that, I'd be with her actual boyfriend, not even his twin. So don't worry."

He smiled a bit, happy that he at least had her bubbly existence to cheer him up. "If…if he liked her half as much as I liked you…I should feel guilty." Crabbe said it a bit awkwardly, half joking, half pained, half serenading. But she accepted it. And she accepted him. And at that moment, it was love that nothing could wound.

Seamus saw Pavarti. He saw her seeing him from across the Common Room before she could pretend she was seeing something else. But Seamus saw Pavarti and he knew. So he walked across the Common Room towards her. She was, pretending to listen to Hannah Abbott talk.

"I just…I do feel really bad about the whole thing and I…I think I'm going to find him and apologize to him. I mean, he'll forgive me, right? You think so, Pavarti? Pavarti?" By then, Pavarti's act had grown weak, and she'd grown paler and paler and Seamus came closer and closer. Hannah looked over her shoulder, and, seeing Seamus, decided that she should carry on her conversation with someone else. She slipped away, leaving Seamus and Pavarti to themselves in the corner.

"Pavarti, I just wanted to talk to you about Wednesday."

She looked down. "Well I don't." She started to leave but he grabbed her arm forcefully. She gasped at the touch, but he wouldn't let go. His eyes had grown mad and his voice became some wild whisper. _He's a time bomb_, she thought. _He's completely lost it_.

"Please! Just listen to me!" Seamus stared at her bewildered expression. He found beauty in there somewhere. "I…I really love…"

"Don't say it," she replied, almost as enraged as him. "You're girlfriend just died! She loved you! She was my best friend and she loved you! How can you expect me to possibly return this…this sick affection?"

"Pavarti —" Seamus whimpered. Now, he'd been filled with sorrow, as if her few words had just destroyed him. However, Pavarti couldn't deal with him.

"Bye, Seamus."

As she walked away, Seamus collected himself. He took whatever thoughts he could comprehend in his crazed head and put them together. _I loved Lavender. She's gone. I loved Pavarti. She's gone. I betrayed Lavender. I betrayed Pavarti. Who's next?_

And he found the answer. Nobody. Seamus stiffly made his way up to the room. He walked over to his bed and sat down. He picked up his wand and tapped it lightly against the side of the four-poster. It transfigured into a silver dagger. Seamus breathed in. Breathed out. Breathed in. Breathed out.

There was a boy who believed in love. There was a boy who loved someone so dearly. There was a boy who lost the one he loved so dearly. There was a boy who believed he could move on. There was a boy who saw and felt things that he wouldn't even wish upon his worst enemy. There was a boy who felt like he should've become a man long ago but was stuck in the same place he had been since he was born. There was a boy who tried to move on and the world discouraged it. There was a boy who tried to look back and the world discouraged it. There was a boy who was tired of making choices and decisions so his brain blocked every road but one. There was a boy who had lost hope in his beliefs. There was a boy who never made it to becoming a man.

A few moments later, there was an earsplitting scream. Hannah, looking for Dean, saw the bloody mess in front of her eyes. People rushed, people gasped, people screamed, people cursed, people wept, people wished.

Seamus Finnegan had died. A casualty of war. A casualty of love.

_On the next episode of All My Wizards_:

-A snowy Ireland funeral sets the stage for some final resolutions. Will Hermione learn the truth? Will Theodore forgive Crabbe? And will the sexual tension between Harry and Draco finally boil over?


	9. The Funeral

Episode Nine – The Funeral

_Previously on All My Wizards_:

-The sexual tension between Harry and Draco reaches new heights.

-Theodore is unwilling to forgive Crabbe

-After a fight with Pavarti, Seamus kills himself.

"Come to the funeral."

"No."

"Do it for me."

"For you? We're not even friends."

"Fine." Harry sighed and walked away. He had wanted Draco to come to the funeral with him, but no such luck. It wasn't until after the short argument that Harry remembered that he had a sobbing girlfriend to tend to, and would barely get Draco time should the blond-haired boy come anyway.

It was three days after Hannah Abbott found Seamus dead and bloody on the floor of the dormitory room. Immediate action had been taken. McGonagall had arrived quickly and, after moving the body, informed Seamus' mother. Classes had been cancelled for that entire week and a funeral had been set. The Finnegans had extended an open invitation to all Hogwarts students who'd known Seamus, and Ministry officials had set up Portkeys in the Entrance Hall to transport students to and fro the snowy burial site in Ireland.

Seamus' suicide had set an even icier mood over Hogwarts, a mood accompanied by a fitting snowstorm. Harry never saw Ron cry about it, but he knew that he was hurting inside. Ginny had done quite a lot of crying herself, and Ron was more often than not the one to comfort her. Pavarti had left Hogwarts. She'd been picked up by her parents for a short "vacation," which will probably include extensive therapy. Dean cried quite a bit at first, which was surprising, as he'd never really been the one to show much emotion. However, he quickly hardened up again, and prepared a speech for the funeral.

After the failed meeting with Draco, Harry met Ron and Ginny and the three quickly grabbed a Portkey as to get a good seat. The arrived outdoors in a chilly meadow, with not much to see other than grass and a few pine trees in the distance. Row upon row white chairs folding chairs had been set up to face the casket, contrasting the black of everybody's cloaks and dresses. There were small flurries, but a spell had been set to keep the snow from falling near the funeral grounds, as if some invisible box had been created to block the grievers from the elements. However, sorrow managed to sneak through and infect all present.

Harry and Ginny quietly took seats closer to the back while Ron went to sit with Hermione. He found her pretty close to the front, sitting alone a few seats down from Dean. He took a deep breath and awkwardly sat next to her. She bit her lip and looked over at him after a beat. When her eyes caught his, she looked forward again.

"Hermione, please. Give me a—"

"Not now, Ronald."

And that was that. The two faced forward for a few minutes, until Hannah Abbott excused herself while rudely pushing herself through them to reach Dean. He was still muttering his speech to himself, so he took little notice as she sat beside him.

"Um, Dean?" she asked hesitantly. He stopped speaking and turned over to her calmly.

"Yes, Hannah?"

"Um, I just wanted to…apologize. I didn't mean to be so offensive when we…broke up." She paused, unfinished, but the pause was long enough to merit a response.

"I forgive you."

Hannah sighed and went on. "And I just wanted to let you know that I totally respect your choice and all and I'm very happy for you." She did another unfinished pause, where Dean fit in a small response again.

"Thank you."

"And…uh…" She seemed on the verge of saying what she'd meant to say.

"Yes, Hannah?" The girl sighed and put her arms around Dean, resting her head on his shoulder. She began to cry.

"I know that we can't…be together. But…can you be here for me now? After all this…after seeing Seamus like…"

"Yes, Hannah," replied Dean calmly, who took her hand in his.

Hermione, who'd been watching the entire affair, suddenly turned to Ron in an angry manner. "See! They can still be friends and love each other! Why can't we?"

Ron, astounded, didn't know how to reply for a second. "I don't want to be friends with you," he said after a pause, "I want to be…more than friends."

"We don't need to be! We can be like them!" said Hermione. She still hadn't forgotten about what she had seen between Dean and Ron.

"Hermione, it's a bit different."

"How?"

Ron wondered if she had gone mad. "Well, for starters, Dean's a poof. And more importantly, I…I really like you, Hermione." Ron wondered what he could possibly be doing wrong.

Hermione was wondering too. _How should I say this?_ "It's okay Ron. You don't have to." Ron's bewildered expression didn't help Hermione's case, so she continued. "I…I saw you…and Dean…"

Ron turned bright red and Dean started to snicker. Hermione quickly saved herself. "Well, it really isn't anything wrong, I mean, if you two—"

"Hermione," said Dean through giggles, "That…didn't mean anything. Seriously. It was quite unreciprocated."

"_Quite_ unrecipor…unrecipri…uh, yeah," added Ron. Hermione paused for a moment, and then buried her face in her hands in a mixture of laughter and embarrassment.

"So…Ron," said Hermione, "You really don't like guys?"

"No! No!" Ron replied quickly. He paused for a second thinking, and then came to an epiphany. "Wait! That's the reason that you turned me down?"

Hermione smiled to herself and gave him a kiss.

Another Portkey arrived soon, carrying Crabbe and Mona. A few Gryffindors looked at the two warily, wondering what two Slytherins were doing there, but the couple ignored them. "Oh! There's my sister," whispered Mona excitedly after seeing Luna. Unfortunately for Crabbe, she was sitting with Theodore. However, he didn't raise any arguments as he followed Mona to the couple.

"Luna, honey," said Mona, approaching and embracing her twin sister. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, Mona. Thanks for coming." The two let go and Luna spotted Crabbe. "Well hello Vincent," she said merrily, "I'm happy that you came as well." Luna then took Crabbe into a friendly hug. Over her shoulder, Crabbe saw Theodore staring at him with cold eyes before looking forward again.

"Aren't you going to say hello to Vincent, Theo?" asked Luna, oblivious about the fight between the two.

"I'm a bit unhappy with 'Vincent' now," said Theodore, without emotion.

"Why? Vincent has been ever so nice to me. After all, he was the one who delivered you those cobwebs to rid you of those nasty Urbles."

Theodore paused, not exactly sure how to respond to that. He smiled a bit in regards to Luna's oddness, but quickly returned to an angry state.

"He was the one who gave me the Urbles, Luna," he said.

Luna was taken aback for a moment, wondering how Crabbe could've tamed the Urbles enough to do his bidding. She shook off her surprise, though. "Well even if Crabbe had given you the Urbles, it really doesn't matter," she responded. "He knew what he did was wrong, and that's why he gave you the cobwebs to get rid of them. I think you should forgive him."

All three around her were stunned by Luna's burst of logic. After a few beats, Theodore sighed and put out his hand towards Crabbe.

"Friends?"

"Sure."

Luna and Mona both smiled, and leaned on their respective beau's shoulder.

At the end of the funeral, most of the students stuck around for a short reception to pay their personal condolences to the Finnegans. Harry noticed that it would be a good time to grab a Portkey to sneak back to Hogwarts, as he could find Draco for a little chat without any of his friends getting too suspicious. However, when he was about to grab a Portkey, he was stopped.

"Harry, aren't you going to stick around?" It was Ginny. Her eyes seemed pale and weak, not just from the tears, but from the exhaustion and stress she had faced in the past few weeks. Harry hadn't helped much either, always preoccupied.

"Um, well the funeral's making me a little…depressed," replied Harry. "I think I just need to get back to Hogwarts."

"Well I'll come too," replied Ginny with weak earnestness.

"No, no, you stay around with Ron and Hermione. I'm sure you'll want to be with your brother…and your best friend—"

"Harry, I want to be with you!" The fire had returned to Ginny's eyes. "I love you so much and it kills me to see you always…pushing me away. If you don't want this, then I don't want this." She looked like she was about to walk away, but she sighed and looked down instead. "So what's it going to be?"

Harry sighed, looking around and hoping nobody was eavesdropping. When he saw they were alone, he grabbed Ginny and pulled her close. "I love you, Gin. I really do. I just…I need a bit of time alone. You can trust me." Harry let go from the embrace with one arm, reaching for a Portkey.

"But Harry—"

She was too late. He pushed her away and grabbed it. He was gone.

_Not in the dungeons, not in the Great Hall, not in the Slytherin Common Room_, thought Harry, rushing around the school in search of Draco. About to give up, Harry made his way up a rarely-used staircase to the seventh floor when he spotted someone sitting by a window. The white light, reflecting off the snow, made the pale face clearer and smoother than Harry could've imagined. The fog on the window had been disturbed by drawings and cursive writing made with Draco's index finger. Harry silently crept closer, looking at some of the words. "Harry." "Harry Potter." Besides every one was a little heart with a slash through it. Harry gasped and Draco suddenly turned around, his eyes wide with shock. Draco wasn't the one to be shocked very long though. His face soon relaxed into one of a mixture between sorrow and desire. He made no effort to erase what'd been inscribed.

"So no more hiding?" muttered Harry.

"Shut up," said Draco. However, he reached to the window and wrote another "Harry Potter" in flowing cursive. He then drew a small heart. Draco paused for a moment and reached out to make a slash, but Harry grabbed his hand. A mix between electricity and fire shot between the two, bonding their fingers for a moment before each pulled away.

Another silence came of Draco staring at the window art with Harry staring at Draco. Harry quietly pulled out something he'd snatched at Seamus' funeral. It was a simple cliché: a red rose. He tapped Draco on the shoulder. Draco turned and, upon seeing the gift, looked at Harry with this look: it was weary. It was tired and dreamy, as if Draco was telling Harry that the fighting was over, the battle was over, the war was over, and he was tired.

Draco took the rose and started to pluck the petals. One. Two. Three. Four.

"He loves me, he loves me not," muttered Harry, remembering the old Muggle game. With each petal that floated down the staircase left a layer of hardness on Draco's face. It grew warmer and warmer, less and less pale.

Harry continued to keep count, and as the last petal sailed away, he whispered the verdict in a question. "He loves me?"

Draco didn't need to answer. Stone eyes met green, sculpted face met scarred, and the kiss spoke a single word to the both of them.

_Yes_.

_On the next episode of All My Wizards_:

-It's the season finale/epilogue! Some of the knots may have been tied up, but find out what happens in the weeks following. Which couples will stay strong? Which will falter?

-What's coming after "All My Wizards?" Find out in a special preview for season two!


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